Thursday, 31 May 2012

Review: Dystopia/Suffering Luna Split

Proof That Diverse Splits Work

Its always a gamble releasing a split
where the two bands don't really sound anything alike. On one hand it
could open up listeners of the other band up to a whole new style of
music. It could also cause listeners who got the split because they
are fans of one of the featured bands to feel alienated by the other.
Although these two songs sound nothing alike, they seem to mesh
pretty well. The only parallels I am able to draw is that Suffering
Luna's song has some very vague similarities to Dystopia's song
"Sleep" (the version off The Aftermath.) Dystopia play
their trademark fusion of crust and sludge, while Suffering Luna
provide us with an interesting mix of dark psychedelia and ritualistic music.

The split kicks off with Dystopia's
"Diary of a Battered Child." With both vocalists singing
from the perspective of an abused child, this truly is a harrowing
journey into the eyes of a victim of unforgivable cruelty. The lyrics
are extremely potent, ending with the line "when I die, don't
come to my funeral." The sludgy main guitar riff is what really
makes this song so memorable. It basically is the definition of simple but effective. Instead of ending abruptly after the vocals
stop, we are treated to a fantastic bass outro. Hard-hitting and
heavy enough to crush stone, this is an excellent way to end the
song.

Most fans of Dystopia are more familiar
with the version of the song that appears on The Aftermath (which
although technically a compilation is widely regarded as their second
album.) These two version are basically the same, except for the
sampling in The Aftermath version. That version samples The Breakfast
Club. The sample in the into features Bender mocking Andy's loving
family. The outro features Bender losing it and furiously ranting
about his abusive father. Many fans dislike this version and deride
the samples as silly. I, however, kind of like them. They undeniably
fit the theme of the song and they're entertaining. In my eyes, the
only downside to them is that they slightly obscure the bass outro.
Many fans are actually unaware of the version of the song that
appears on this split, as was I until someone mentioned it. Before
that, I assumed that this version is exactly the same as the one that
appears on The Aftermath. If the samples bother you, listening to
this version would be the simple solution.

Starting off with some strange
psychedelic bleeps and noises, Suffering Luna's track bears little
resemblance to Dystopia's. Not long into the track, ritualistic
tribal drums enter the soundscape. The track for the most part is
subtle and low key. Sometimes it gets slightly heavier, in a wall of
sound meets psychedelic swirl. Incoherent mumbles frequent the song,
adding to the strange atmosphere. If you are open to weird music
coming from left field, then this track may be of interest. The
track's bizarre atmosphere can bring you into another world if you're
in the right mood.

What we have here is a split by to very
different but equally interesting bands. Both bands are in the crust punk scene (although the crust sound is much more prominent in Dystopia's
works) and are doing something different. The second track serves as
an intriguing (yet undeniably dark) cool down from Dystopia's
memorable crusty sludge song. Both songs on this split are fantastic
and it would be a wise decision to explore both band's discographies.